Chipmunk's Solo AT Thru Hike UpdateDay 196 on the Appalachian Trail Miles Hiked to Date: 2093 Hiked yesterday: 8 Trail Miles, Miles left to hike: 91

First to Mary (of Brooksville?) ... Mary, Mary, Mary ... I didn't remove all your comments because they brought so much entertainment to me. FYI, you can only imagine how difficult it can be to post the hike update blog some days.

Second, to April of Wildcat Campground in Suches, Georgia ... You're right! We stayed at your campground at the very beginning of this adventure and I did almost forget how fabulous the showers were! In fact, we had so many lousy shower experiences AFTER leaving your campground that I started to believe maybe our stay with you was a dream; that it never happened. Bur it did and I do recall having the best time at Wildcat! Please give our regards to the whole gang there AND a wink to your Dad; very cool guy!

Third to Mary (of Troutville, VA area) ... glad to have you along for this adventure and looking forward to having you along for the next one, too!

Fourth, to Sheena, thank you for this personalized song for Chipmunk! Had to share it with our readers! I don't know about you but since I sung it through one time, it's now on a repeating loop in my brain.

99 miles of trail miles to go,99 miles of trail miles to go,When one of those miles have been hiked by you,There will be 98 miles of trail miles to go.

98 miles of trail miles to go,98 miles of trail miles to go,When one of those miles have been hiked by you,There will be 97 miles of trail miles to go.

97 miles of trail miles to go,97 miles of trail miles to go,When one of those miles have been hiked by you,There will be 96 miles of trail miles to.

etc etc etc etc.Go Neva.....Go Neva.....Go Neva LoveSheena

We awoke at 5:30 AM, as per usual, both Papa Chip and I scrambled to turn off the alarms on our cell phones so as not to wake our campground neighbors. I started heating water for "goat"meal and coffee and then asked Papa Chip to walk with me to the shower house restrooms; Chocolate Chip tagged along. When we returned, the stovetop water was hot enough to make Chipmunk's breakfast so I whispered to her that it was time to get up.

She sat up and did some stretching in her bunk before she started eating. I passed out vitamins and made up our coffee cups. We were all pretty quiet; I think we were all pretty sore from hiking Katahdin. I asked Chipmunk if she thought she could handle the terrain on the 8 mile hike she had planned and she looked the sheets over and said, "I think so."

Papa Chip climbed out of the camper and started prepping her backpack while she dressed and I secured stuff in the camper. Soon, we were all ready to roll. We climbed into the cab together and drove to the logging road where Chipmunk had finished the day before. As we made our way down it, I quietly hoped we'd make our way back to civilization after we dropped her ... yep! it was a really rough road!

We all climbed out and had hugs and kisses before I snapped her daily morning pic, confirmed our meetup spot and then watched her disappear into the woods. We drove back into town with the plan to eat at the same little restaurant. The local library was closed again so we figured we'd use wifi at the Little Red Hen. Unfortunately, it was closed for the day, too.

Plan B: We drove about 30 minutes to a neighboring town and found a Dunkin Donuts w/wifi and posted the hike update there. There was also a Wal-Mart in town so we stopped in to get another protective item for Chipmunk: a vivid orange vest to go over her pack. It's quite obvious that Maine is a big hunting state.

We have seen more moose than I ever thought we would and I find myself becoming fond of them. As we drove back towards the trailhead, we passed by a truck with a flatbed trailer behind it pulled off the side of the road. There on the trailer was a big moose. He was dead. I stared as we passed and before I knew it, there were tears streaming down my face. I turned to Papa Chip and said, "That's bothering me so much; seeing that majestic animal reduced to a lifeless mound."

Papa Chip said, "I truly hope it was shot for food and not just to become a troohy on someone's wall." I wrestled with the fact that animals are killed every day for us to eat. When I eat a burger or a steak, it seldom crosses my mind that an animal had to die for my meal. But, after spending so much time near wild animals in the past 6 months, it has given me pause. I didn't really expect this adventure to affect me this way.

My phone dinged, alerting me that there was a message. Chipmunk sent this pic to me from the trail. Quite often, she has hiked not only above tree line but also above cloud cover. I wonder if she feels like she's literally on the top of the world ... I'll have to ask her about that.

We drove on to the trailhead and found it easily. We parked to wait for Chipmunk and Papa Chip took a walk into the trailhead with Chocolate Chip. He returned and told me that Chipmunk has a stream to ford just before she finishes the day's hike. He said was going to wait on the bank to try to record her crossing. I decided to join him. We only waited about 20 minutes when Chipmunk called out to us from across the stream.

Papa Chip told her he was going to record her crossing and she hollered that she hopes she doesn't fall in. He laughed and told her it would make a better video if she did... and welcome to the Warren family! She crossed with ease, after finding the best way to start down the muddy bank without falling.

I hugged her when she came up the side to us and asked how her day was. She said, "Not bad but I did hear some distant gunshots today."

My chest tightened at the sound of those words. I told her that we bought her an electric orange vest to out over her pack. She looked up at me and said, "Oh, now that's going to be pretty." I told her she could worry about pretty stuff after the hike.

She removed her pack and put it and her hiking poles into the cab. We chatted about the day and I asked her the same questions I've been asking lately: Were you warm enough? Did you see anyone else on the trail? etc. Yes, she was plenty warm and no she didn't see any hikers; any people at all, for that matter.

While we talked, Papa Chip drove into town. Chipmunk had some Chipmunk bucks she wanted to spend so we found a local place that served one of her fave dishes, chicken Parmigian. Papa Chip and I had the veggie pizza that was on special. When her dish arrived I happened to be telling Chipmunk about the dead moose I saw. She said, "Society only cringes when we kill the cute animals." With that, she cut up her chicken parm without batting an eye as she scrolled through her phone on the free wifi. In the end, I was glad she was getting some needed protein in her diet.

We drove back towards the trailhead and found a good camp spot for the night. We talked only for a short time before turning off the lights and calling it a night. We said "I love you" and "Good night" to one another, eager to get a good night's sleep before Chipmunk tackles tougher terrain the next day.

If you enjoy reading the story of our adventure, and you’d like to send some “Trail Magic” to Chipmunk, click on the “Donate” button at the upper right corner of today’s blog post. Chipmunk maintains a twitter account: @openlymtngoat where a common hashtag is #GoChipmunk . She (or we) will try to answer any questions you may have about her hike and this family adventure.

Thanks again for all your support,Mama Chip, Papa Chip, Chipmunk and her dog, Chocolate Chip(Tammy, Jay, Neva and Coco)

Hey Mama Chip, I'm the Mary that you guys are going to hike with sometimemon the FL trail!!! :) Glad you were entertained with those comments because I certainly wasn't, pure frustration on my end!! :)

Hard to believe that y'all have less than a hundred miles to go! Chipmunk is probably ready for it to end, but I'm surely gonna miss following your life along the AT. But all good things must come to an end so more good things can come along, right? Looks like I will just have to follow you on your "Adventure to Health" to get my "Chip" fix!!! :)

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aunt carol

10/18/2013 04:12:39 am

moose is very tasty

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Kara

10/18/2013 04:42:34 am

Chipmunk is one smart chick. ;) I'm a completely conscious omnivore. I eat meat and I'm well aware that I am eating a dead animal. I try very hard to make sure that what I eat is ethically sourced when I buy it to cook, but I also eat my fair share of restaurant and fast food meals and I realize that when I do that I'm contributing to some of the factory slaughter. There are days when I'm more conflicted about it than others.

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Pastor Stephen Dean

10/18/2013 06:09:52 am

I thru-hiked in 1996 with the trail name of "BJ" and live in Brownville Junction not too far from K.I/ Jo Mary section of the Wilderness on the AT. I am pastor of two United Methodist Churches. I am very impressed with Chipmunk's hike and our prayers are with you all. I noted today you have 91 miles to go, is the finish in Caratunk? In regards to moose, I hit one a long time ago with my pickup truck, it didn't turn out well for the moose or the truck. We have big road kill in Maine and nothing goes to waste. Happy and safe hiking. BJ

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Kevin

10/18/2013 01:23:11 pm

Way to show that stream who's boss. Next time just imagine the members of One Direction are standing on the other side of the riverbank ready to greet you in all of your nose-running glory.... then *boom!* new crossing record!

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